Thank the Lord for Your Food

When we get ready to eat a meal, the Bible directs us to pray and thank the Lord for the food He has provided, that we are about to eat. Jesus gave us this example when He miraculously fed the 5,000. “Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude” (Lk. 9:16).

The Apostle Paul echoed these words when he wrote in I Timothy 4:4-5, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: ⁵ For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

When you thank the Lord for your food, you recognize God as the giver of all good things, and that He has graciously supplied you with the necessities for your daily living. He has given us our daily bread. Thank Him for His love and kindness, for His provision and sovereignty, for His faithfulness and variety.

Don’t be ashamed to bow your head in a public place to thank the Lord for your food. He is worthy, and praying over your food is a good testimony. Also, pray with sincerity, with genuine thankfulness in your heart to the Lord. Be careful not to pray in a rote way, where the words become a ritual. Think about the words you say, and mean the words you say. “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Ps. 100:5).